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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. object — to protest
  3. staff — employees
  4. object — a thing
  5. land — to come down
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — obliged
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to click
  10. land — ground
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. object — an aim
  15. staff — a stick
  16. track — a song
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bound — tied together
  22. track — a path
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com